Martin, Wayland both win another district hoops title

Both Martin and Wayland girls’ basketball teams claimed district championships again Friday night.

Martin had a surprisingly easy time of getting past a Climax-Scotts squad that entered the game with a better record. The Lady Clippers prevailed 40-21 to even their overall record at 11-11. Climax-Scotts finished at 9-10.

It was Martin’s fifth straight district title.

“I’m so proud of the way we played tonight,” said coach Ben Schipper. “We were fiery, mentally locked in, and determined to play our absolute best. I can’t say enough how great our defense was. We executed our game plan very well on that side of the court. On offense, we were patient while also being aggressive.

“Gracie (Shettler) was terrific tonight, playing a great defensive game while scoring a game high 18 points. It was so fun to see her play with such determination tonight. She went 9/10 from the free throw line.

“Cirsten Coburn played a great game as our second leading scorer with 8. Though Makala Goddard only scored 2 points, she did a great job leading our team tonight as the floor general. Avery and Lynsey Jager, Elizabeth Reinke, and Maddy Bogdan all gave us many great minutes tonight. It truly was a phenomenal team effort.”

Wayland started slow out of the gate, falling behind at the end of the first quarter, but managed to pull out a 51-48 victory over Holland Christian. The Lady Wildcats now are 14-8 for the campaign and Holland Christian finished at 12-10.

Harmony Laker scored the winning basket with a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Both Martin and Wayland outfits will play Tuesday in the regional semifinals.

Wayland will play Dowagiac at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Vicksburg High in the opening round. Edwardsburg and Otsego will meet at 7 p.m. Finals will be at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Martin will be back on its home floor at 5:30 Tuesday to take on Muskegon Heights Academy, which sports a 7-8 overall record. Gobles will be one of the two teams that will play at 7 p.m. that evening.